Mar 29, 2018

Trump phones Roseanne Barr

Axios

John Goodman and Roseanne Barr at the "Roseanne" premiere. Photo: Matt Petit / ABC via Getty Images

President Trump telephoned supporter Roseanne Barr yesterday to congratulate her on the return of her sitcom "Roseanne" on ABC and — what really impressed him — the huge ratings.

What caught Trump's eye: The series' return on Tuesday drew 18.4 million viewers, more than doubling ABC's internal estimates. It was the highest rating among adults age 18-49 for any comedy since CBS’ "The Big Bang Theory" season opener in 2014.

  • The president reminded Barr of a time they had crossed paths in his New York days, a source familiar with the call told Axios.
  • The show is back for nine episodes with the full original cast from the series that left the air 21 years ago, in May 1997.
  • On the show, as in real life, Roseanne is a Trump supporter. Her sister, Jackie Harris (played by Laurie Metcalf) is a staunch opponent.
  • Barr, now 65 and living in Hawaii, told N.Y. Times politics editor Patrick Healy that she "wanted to have that dialogue about families torn apart by the election and their political differences of opinion and how we handle it."

What's next: The first episode involved sparring over strains after the election, but the rest of the run isn't about politics. Topics include the opioid crisis, guns in the home, and medical-care problems faced by blue collar families.

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In photos: Deadly Storm Dennis lashes U.K., Ireland and western France

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Storm Dennis continued to pummel parts of England, Wales and Ireland over Sunday night with heavy rain after battering Northern Ireland and Scotland, per the official British weather agency the Met Office.

Why it matters: It's the second-strongest nontropical storm ever recorded in the North Atlantic Ocean, with its hurricane-force winds and heavy rains that caused widespread flooding across the U.K., the Washington Post notes. Police in Wales confirmed Sunday they found the body of a man who fell into a river as the storm lashed Ystradgynlais.

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Sanders accuses Bloomberg of trying to "buy" the 2020 election

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Sen. Bernie Sanders tore into 2020 rival Michael Bloomberg at a Las Vegas campaign event Saturday, saying the billionaire and former New York mayor is trying to "buy the presidency" by paying millions of dollars in advertising.

Why it matters: Bloomberg has surged in national polling recently, having poured millions of dollars into campaign ads largely targeting Trump. His candidacy has become an obvious foil for Sanders, whose grassroots campaign railing against billionaires and the establishment has vaulted him to front-runner status.

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Coronavirus cases rise, as more Americans on cruise confirmed ill

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A U.S. public health official confirms more than 40 Americans on the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Japan have coronavirus, while the remaining U.S. citizens without symptoms are being evacuated.

The big picture: COVID-19 has now killed at least 1,770 people and infected almost 70,000 others. Most cases and all but five of the deaths have occurred in mainland China. Taiwan confirmed its first death on Sunday, per multiple reports, in a 61-year-old man with underlying health conditions. Health officials were investigating how he became ill.

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